He understood what she meant almost instantly.
He said, "Baby, I don't need them to save me. I'm very capable, really, I'm very capable. I climbed out by myself. I don't need anyone to save me."
He kept repeating, "I don't need anyone to save me."
But she took his hand and said, "Let's walk together and get through this curse."
The gentle purple aura filling the sky is a sorrowful magic.
She said, "Yanxi, let's go together."
He turned pale, looked at her, shook off her hand, and stepped back.
Ah Heng choked up, "Yan hope, please, come with me."
Yan hope kept backing away, his expression pleading. He looked at her with tears in his eyes and said no.
Aheng stepped forward, grasped his hand, and pointed to herself—there was no separation, no estrangement, nothing at all.
Yan hope's eyes were filled with uncontrollable sadness and fear.
The long path leads into the depths of the bamboo forest. She holds his hand, the cool touch of her fingers tracing the bitterness and dignity of life, the unwavering belief in protecting each other, the unyielding bond between Yan hope and A Heng.
It was 2003, and they had known each other for five years.
Having overcome the decay of fate, he was reborn, relieved, and embraced her tightly, bursting into tears. His sobs poured out all the grievances of being abandoned, treated unfairly, and having his heart ripped apart.
The woman spoke softly—"Besides bones and yellow earth, I will protect you for a hundred years without worry."
She can no longer turn back.
Chapter 79
Chapter 79
In his spare time, Aheng would always squat in the small flower garden, pulling out clumps of withered yellow weeds and loosening the soil after the snow, spending half the evening there.
At the beginning of this meticulous task, she kept her eyes down, treating it with the same patience as if it were just an ordinary household chore.
Yan hope leaned against the second-floor window, watching her. He held a pretty little box in his hand, opening and closing it, while humming a nonsensical tune, innocent and unrestrained.
The box gleamed with an emerald green light in the sunlight. Its material was vaguely translucent, and the back was engraved with some gold letters, which were not clearly visible under strong light.
He opened the box and asked, "Aheng, do you want some candy?"
He picked a candy out of the box and let it fall from the sky, gently landing on the freshly turned soil in Aheng's yard.
Ah Heng picked it up, unwrapped the candy, and found it to be a common high-end soft candy on the market.
I put it in my mouth, but it almost made my throat feel too sweet. I frowned – how could it be so sweet!
Yan hope's prank succeeded, and he laughed loudly—"I just soaked in a sugar jar for half a day."
Ah Heng was speechless. She lowered her head, then raised it again, gathered up the remaining snow, turned around, and threw it high into the air.
Yan hope was caught off guard and took the hit squarely in the face.
Seeing his disheveled state, Ah Heng began to chuckle.
Yan hope sighed helplessly, wiping his face with his hand and muttering, "What a stingy kid."
Then, he groped around in the box and pulled out a small object.
He said, "This time, I'll take it."
Her fair face flushed slightly. She turned around, reached out, and pulled the curtains closed.
Cut off eye contact.
For him, eye contact has always been something difficult to process, especially when facing someone who is difficult to process.
The parabola, dazzlingly bright in the sunlight.
It was tossed at her feet, a tiny silver thing, spinning, then resting.
Ah Heng squatted there, squinting at the sun for a long time. The sun was too harsh on her eyes, and she unconsciously shed tears.
With slightly dirty hands, I picked up that tiny, gentle ring.
A ring.
Thumb, index finger, middle finger, little finger.
Each one, some wide, some narrow.
Only the ring finger remains.
It was in my palm, and I didn't try again.
She looked up at the light-colored curtains drawn on the second floor, smiled faintly, took out a handkerchief, wrapped it up, and put it in her pocket.
Then, one day, the ring mysteriously disappeared. Wen casually said she didn't know where she lost it. Yan pounded his chest and said, "Didn't she ever think that this was a token of love?"
Wen, no. I always thought it was a toy. Yeah, just like a scarf, you can toss it away like a prostitute's top courtesan, and I can just pick it up like a volcano patron.
That person is so tragic TOT.
So, who the hell dares to say that this is love? It's so melodramatic, so outrageous, so masochistic, so... hilarious.
Before returning to school, Wen's eldest brother appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, even shedding tears, saying that Xi was really not a good match for him.
Ah Heng was confused—what does this have to do with me?
Siwan frowned, her eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and she said with a mournful expression, "What exactly is the relationship between you and him, him and you, you two...?"
Ah Heng said, "It doesn't matter. You've seen Tom and Jerry, right? I'm the cat, and he's the mouse."
Siwan ⊙﹏⊙, could it be that... you two were actually forced to live under the same roof, that Yanxi has always been wary of you and hates you, and that you've always been enemies...?
Ah Heng glanced at him and smiled faintly—Yes, yes, we are enemies.
Many years later, the Wen twins pestered their father to tell them stories, and Siwan told them with great sadness about the cat and the mouse, two enemies.
His wife sprayed grape seeds all over his face—I feel like you and I are watching different versions?
Siwan said, "Why are there different versions now? I glanced at them a few times when I was a kid. It was just Tom and Jerry, who were like oil and water."
His wife, oh, I didn't watch much of that when I was little. I only know that there was a little rascal cat chasing a rogue rat all day long, chasing and chasing, never stopping, and it was quite... you know.
Huh... Is it sentimental?
They're acting, we're just watching. Who's feeling sentimental, and what are they sentimental about?
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When Aheng left, Wen's mother insisted on taking her to school, but Yanxi said that he had a schedule that evening and wouldn't go with her.
Ah Heng agreed, saying there was a single serving of ribs in the fridge, and they could microwave it tonight.
Yan hope brushed his teeth, his mouth full of white foam, and nodded.
She went out while he was washing his face. Yan hope wished her a safe journey, and A Heng said thank you.
The door closed, and the play ended.
He hadn't wiped the foam from his mouth, and he craned his neck to look at the wall that blocked the entrance; it was so white...it was really an eyesore.
Braised pork rice flew over, calling out, "Ah Heng, Ah Heng!"
Yan hope smiled.
He said, "Do you know who Ah Heng is? Just shout it. When I taught you to shout Lu Liu before, the tables, benches, and toilets all used Lu Liu."
Then, this name will also be frozen in time, becoming something terrible... called memory?
She said that unless he turns to dust and bones, she would protect him until he lived to be a hundred years old without worry.
I forgot to ask, who will be free from worry before their bones turn to dust?
After the New Year, Yan hope was very busy, very busy. According to Xin Dayi, "I could still see him clearly, but he disappeared in an instant. Does he think he's some kind of superman who wears his underwear on the outside? That bastard, in China, would be an eyesore."
Yan hope shrugged. "I host two shows this morning, finish three hundred covers this afternoon, and have some time tonight. Kid, it's not that I don't want to play with you, I just don't have the energy."
He lifted his leg, intending to grope her before flying away, but Xin Dayi pounced on him, grabbing his leg and crying, "Yan hope, you can't be this heartless! I'm begging you this once in my life!"
Yan hope = =, let go. You said the exact same thing a month ago.
Xin Dayi said, "If the old man hadn't refused to give me start-up funds last time, I would have been forced to borrow from you because I had no other choice."
Yan hope glared coldly. "Who told you to keep pounding your chest like that? 'I'll definitely get into the government! I'll definitely bring glory to the family! I'll make sure everyone knows I'm your grandson, not your grandfather!' If I were your grandfather, I would have beaten you to death long ago. Your words are nothing but bullshit."
Xin Dayi said awkwardly, "Wasn't it all the transgender people who persuaded me? They said that construction companies have great potential recently. Anyway, that's what we studied. If we do well, we can make money and become famous without having to take a fixed salary and be at the mercy of others..."
Yan hope kicked him—"I can't be bothered with your petty squabbles. Go away, don't pull my pants. Just say what you have to say. When did you become as long-winded as Chen Juan?"
Xin Dayi looked at Yan hope with starry eyes, her gaze more divine than God's, and said earnestly, "My beauty, could you help us with some publicity? Our company is going public next month."
Yan hope = =, you want me to wear a yellow hat and a blue uniform to solicit business for your construction team? So, next, do you expect me to drink with people?
Xin Dayi, do you think I'm that kind of person? I'm just relying on you to gain some popularity and repeat customers. What are you talking about? You think everyone is as cunning as Lu Liu and Wen Siwan.
Yan hope tsk tsk, you really think highly of yourself. Those two have long since become honeycomb briquettes. Are you even the same weight as them?
Xin Dayi rubbed her hair and grinned sheepishly, "Then you've helped."
Yan hope grinned maliciously, saying it depended on his mood, the time, and the payment.
Xin Dayi = =. Making a phone call—Aheng, I need to tell you something…
Yan hope coughs—I only have these two time slots: tomorrow afternoon and the morning after tomorrow.
Xin Dayi was overjoyed—Oh, it's Third Sister, not Aheng. Third Sister, your Tianjin accent is so lovely. You asked why I wanted to see Aheng? Hehe, nothing much, I just missed her. Yes, I'm her brother Xin Dayi. We chatted on MSN. Yes, yes, see you later.
Yan hope gritted his teeth and wiped his face—damn, you've gone this far, you're ruthless.
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Ah Heng always used to call Yan hope from the school's public phone booth. Actually, usually, it was mostly Yan hope who kept talking and Ah Heng would just chime in and keep putting coins into the coin slot, listening attentively to what he had to say.
Sometimes, she couldn't remember most of what he said. When she looked back, all she could remember was the sound of her constantly flipping coins.
Clang, bang.
Hidden in the small telephone case, the crisp sound carries a gentle, lingering quality.